


Grain Under Skin

by Kijang



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blowjobs, Heartbreak, It's basically twilight with trees ok, M/M, Nature Magic, Trees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 23:13:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16105769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kijang/pseuds/Kijang
Summary: Baekhyun's life is boring.Then Sehun appears.





	1. Lush

It’s only a week into the new school year when a new student shows up. His name is Oh Sehun, apparently. He sticks out like a sore thumb among the students, as his hair is a fiery shade of red. He’s not very talkative, though quite a few girls are already fawning over him. He’s tall and lanky. Baekhyun decides immediately that he likes him.

“He’s not even that good-looking,” says Zitao, sipping at a juice box.

“Hm,” Baekhyun only hums in response as his eyes follow Sehun across the school yard.

“Like, his face is kind of flat, he has no jaw line.”

“And Wu Fan does?” snarks Baekhyun.

“At least Wu Fan makes up for it in height and his nice voice,” sniffs Zitao.

“Didn’t you hear him this morning? ‘Hi, my name is Oh _Thehun_ ’?” he adds.

“You’re just jealous because he has a nicer ass than you do,” says Baekhyun.

Zitao huffs and Baekhyun knows he’s right. His appreciative eyes follow Sehun – good-looking long-legged Sehun, as he gets up and throws his empty can in a nearby rubbish bin.

“Where’re you going?” calls Zitao.

Baekhyun simply waves him off and heads off to where Sehun is seated, under a tree with a heavy book in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

“Hey,” chirps Baekhyun.

Sehun looks up, startled. The corner of his mouth quirks up in a half-smile.

“Hi.”

Taking that as an invitation to sit down, Baekhyun plops down beside him and holds out his hand.

“I’m Byun Baekhyun and you must be new here. Oh Sehun, right?”

“That’s right, nice to meet you, Baekhyun,” they shake hands briefly and Baekhyun eases the conversation into small talk. It’s easy for him. It’s always been easier to be amicable, especially to new students. They talk about classes, teachers and the like, how Sehun likes the school and if he’s cool with hanging out with Baekhyun.

“That’s quite all right by me,” he ends up mumbling, he looks a tad sick.

“You okay?” asks Baekhyun.

 “I’m fine,” says Sehun hurriedly.

“Hm… If you’re not, I’ll show you where the nurse is, ‘kay?” says Baekhyun cheerfully as he leans back against the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Baekhyun and Sehun get paired up for a biology class on botany, Sehun looks like he’s going to be sick half the time they’re working together. His face is either ghostly white or green, though Baekhyun only half notices as he blows pink bubblegum bubbles.

Baekhyun is absentmindedly twisting the end off a twig, which is annoyingly still green and tough on the inside when Sehun asks him:

“Please stop.”

“Stop what?” asks Baekhyun in confusion, though his hands still all the same.

“Torturing that twig,” mumbles Sehun.

“It’s a twig,” Baekhyun’s voice is dull and he’s raised an eyebrow at Sehun who’s frowning.

“It was part of an oak tree before. Only today was it cut from a tree. And you can tell by the inside that it’s still alive,” he says.

“But it’s a _twig._ It’s not like it feels anything.”

Sehun’s frown deepens and he takes the small branch from Baekhyun.

“Just don’t, okay? It kind of bothers me.”

Baekhyun shrugs and leans over the papers they’ve been given. Best not to push Sehun, he figures.

 

 

 

 

 

Later at lunch, Baekhyun claps a hand on Sehun’s shoulder, just before Sehun takes a sip of water.

“I’m sorry if I… offended you with the twig?” he tries.

“It’s fine,” shrugs Sehun.

“It’s just a sensitive topic to me, just drop it and it’ll be cool, okay?”

The rest of lunch is uneventful. Though Baekhyun comes to the realisation that he’s never seen Sehun eat anything and that Sehun’s shoulder is _very_ bony.

He hopes that it’s nothing to be worried about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Impressive,” remarks Zitao.

They’re sitting on the rug in Baekhyun’s room, history notes spread out over the floor.

“What d’you mean?” asks Baekhyun as he absentmindedly sucks on his pen, as if that will help him find the answer to a question he’s been stuck on for the past ten minutes.

“You managed to get close to the new kid in a span of two weeks. This is a new record,” he laughs.

“Hm?”

“Why else would he be texting you, asking if you want to go for a _hike_ , of all things, together?” Zitao holds Baekhyun’s phone up, showing a new text message from Sehun.

“Wait- hold on, gimme that!” sputters Baekhyun as he makes grabby hands at it.

Zitao gets to his feet and holds the phone out of Baekhyun’s reach. Baekhyun scrambles and jumps to snatch it out of Zitao’s hands.

“Grow a bit, Beef, then you can have this back,” he teases.

Baekhyun simply pouts and flops down on his bed.

“I don’t like _hiking_  though,” he whines.

“Only because you’re an unathletic shut-in whose only sport is twerking.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you too,” coos Zitao as he lays down beside Baekhyun.

“Are you going?” he asks in a sing-song voice, waving the phone above Baekhyun’s nose.

Baekhyun sighs and takes his phone from Zitao to type his response.

“Well, why not? What the worst that could happen? It’s just a hike.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the worst that could happen.

Somehow, Baekhyun had manage to step on a loose rock of some sort on a patch of the path that was open to the sky and slipped down the rocky hillside, effectively ruining his jeans and – worse yet, his knees, wrists and palms.

Now here he is, clinging on to the rocks as best he could without slipping down.

Tears sting his eyes as he meekly calls for Sehun’s help. This was not how their first time hanging out together was supposed to go. He wonders why they couldn’t have just watched a movie at Baekhyun’s place, instead of risking life and limb _outside._

“Uh, hold on, Baekhyun!” Sehun calls from the path, lying on his stomach and reaching down to pull Baekhyun back up.

It’s a bit of a struggle and at one point Sehun looks like he’s about to tumble down as well. Though with a well timed jump-and-pull Sehun manages to help Baekhyun up and beside him.

They sit side by side, both trying to catch their breath.

Baekhyun starts laughing, and slowly but surely, Sehun joins him. They’re both cracking up, dirtied and scuffed.

Sehun tries to smooth his red hair down when Baekhyun’s expression changes to one of utter horror.

He scoots back from Sehun, nearly toppling over the edge of the path – again. He nearly lands on his back, but scrambles to his knees, despite the dirt stinging the bloodied scrapes.

“What the _fuck_?!” he exclaims, eyes wide and entire body shaking.

Sehun's eyes are just as wide flickering from the _green_ gash on the inside of his arm to Baekhyun and back.

He scrabbles to his feet and runs off ahead into the forest, leaving Baekhyun alone and wounded in shock.

 

 

 

 

 

By the time Baekhyun gets home, it’s already dark and he’s shivering from the chilly night air. The heating in his car is terrible and it’s only marginally warmer than outside. Only now does he regret only wearing a thin jacket.

He gets a lecture from his parents about responsibilities and obligations that he only half-listens to, but nods in agreement to, all the same. After he showers, his mum helps him clean his scrapes and bandages the more severe cuts that run down his arms.

When he finally stumbles into his room he shoves his dirtied clothes into the clothes hamper and pulls on a pair of sweat pants. Heaving a sigh, he flops down on his bed. Then the full realisation of what he saw hits him.

He doesn’t know if he’s become colour-blind overnight, but judging by Sehun’s reaction, he hasn’t.

The flesh under Sehun’s skin is definitely not pink.

It’s light green.

There’s no mistaking it. Something is wrong with Oh Sehun. Something that Baekhyun is scared of. He’s not easily scared, whenever he’d watch horror movies with Zitao, he usually would end up with Zitao’s face pressed into his back and him occasionally asking questions about the movie.

A interesting, yet terrifying thought crosses his mind.

What if Sehun is not even _human_?

Baekhyun has no clue what he could even be. He mulls over the possibilities in his head. It’s not like he’s a vampire or werewolf and he can’t come up with much else because mythology and magic creatures never really interested him. He only went to see Twilight because Zitao begged him to come along and would bitch for the next five years if he didn’t.

However bony boys with bright red hair and green flesh?

Surely that’s only the stuff you’d find in Harry Potter books?

Baekhyun considers the possibility of Sehun being a zombie. But he looks fairly normal despite his odd hair and very pale skin. He’s articulate and hasn’t tried to gnaw Baekhyun’s arm off either.

He sighs, flicking the switch on his bedside lamp off.

There’s no such thing as werewolves, vampires or zombies. It’s stupid to think that Sehun might not be human.

He ends up falling asleep and dreaming of boys with green hair and red eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's around noon when Baekhyun calls Sehun the very next day. Baekhyun crosses his fingers and hopes Sehun will pick up. He has to stop himself from sighing audibly when he hears a sleepy '  _Hullo?_  '.

“Sehun? It’s me, Baekhyun.”

“Oh… Hi, I’m… sorry about yesterday.”

His voice is still croaky and laced with sleep. Baekhyun bites his lip.

“It’s okay, I managed to get home without much trouble anyway.”

It’s a blatant lie. Baekhyun had struggled to walk back after his fall, as his scraped knees stung and rubbed against the filthy rough denim of his jeans.

“That’s good.”

The silence isn’t awkward, but Baekhyun doesn’t know what to say.

“Sehun, I – ”

“Baekhyun, I –”

They both stop.

“Sehun, I don’t know what I saw yesterday, and you don’t have to tell me,” Baekhyun finally says.

“I know I saw something, even though I don’t know what it was and… I don’t want to say I’m afraid, but I am. A little.”

“I understand,” answers Sehun slowly.

“I can’t tell you just yet, not – not like this… If you come with me next week, I’ll tell– show you then.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch on the Monday after what Baekhyun refers to as ‘the incident’ is spent chatting with Zitao. He’s happily bitching about some Korean drama he recently started following. Baekhyun only half-listens to him as he nibbles on his sandwich, humming in agreement when necessary.

“Beef, you’re not even listening to me,” whines Zitao, scooting closer to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun glances at him with a cocked brow.

“You were talking about how the girl was the guy’s childhood friend, and?”

“You’re not _listening_ listening. Did something happen on your date with Sehun?”

“You could hardly call it a date,” mutters Baekhyun, taking a big bite.

“Oh,” starts Zitao excitedly, “did he just take you into the forest to do something scandalous?”

“Oh my god, _no,_ ” groans Baekhyun shoving Zitao away.

“Can you just _not_?”

“Come on, tell me!” pushes Zitao, “Is that why your palms are so scratched up?”

Baekhyun sighs.

“No, we went for a _hike_ and I fell down the side of the hill, and there were rocks. Everywhere. And it hurt.”

He continues: “And uh, I’m not sure what you and Wu Fan do but if you get as torn up as this” -  he holds his hands up for emphasis, “I’m not sure if you’re as vanilla as you say you are.”

Zitao’s cheeks redden as he grumbles:

“It’s not like that.”

“You’re the one who started by suggesting I fuck new kids in the forest two weeks after meeting them. Do you really think I’m worse than you?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Wednesday, Sehun and Baekhyun haven’t said a word to each other. They only exchange glances from time to time across the school yard.

It’s sad to see Sehun alone. He doesn’t really talk to anyone, save for Lu Han and Baekhyun. But Lu Han is nice to everyone and Baekhyun is too caught up in his own thoughts to actually speak to him.

He’s watching Sehun fumble with his phone when his own phone suddenly buzzes in his pocket. He fishes it out and checks the screen:

_I’m sorry. I promise I’ll tell you this Saturday, but please talk to me? I’m lonely ):_

Baekhyun looks up at Sehun, who is looking back at him with a small smile on his lips. Baekhyun nods and gets up to go sit by him under the tree.

“You really mean it?”

“I do,” says Sehun scooting over to the side so Baekhyun can sit comfortably against the tree.

“What are you even reading?”

 “Don’t laugh, Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales,” admits Sehun softly.

“That’s cute.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday arrives quicker than Baekhyun expects and he finds himself pulling on work boots and the same ratty (washed) jeans he wore last week. He brings a thicker coat and has his keys and phone stuffed into his pocket as he waits at the edge of the forest by his beat-up car, sitting on the hood.

Sehun emerges from the trees, waving at him.

“Hey,” Baekhyun greets him cheerily, smile bright.

“Hi.”

Sehun motions for Baekhyun to follow him through the trees along the path.

“So is the part where you tell me you’re a vampire? And that you’ve been eighteen for quite a while now?”

Sehun stops and turns to look at him in confusion.

“You haven’t seen Twilight?”

“I don’t really care much for movies,” says Sehun, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s good you haven’t seen it. It’s a really bad movie.”

“I can imagine.”

They continue to walk in silence, Baekhyun following diligently and Sehun waiting patiently as Baekhyun tries to pick his way along the more treacherous patches. He guides Baekhyun over a stream by holding his hand. Though he himself wades through the water, completely disregarding the fact his jeans are being soaked half-way up his shins.

When they reach a clearing together, Sehun sits down cross-legged in the middle on a wide  tree stump, where the Autumn sun has light dancing through the leaves on the lush grass.

He motions to have Baekhyun sit across from him. Baekhyun warily sits on the mossy make-shift seat, cross-legged as Sehun.

“I’m going to have to ask you to _not_ scream. And _please_ don’t be afraid, I have no intention of hurting you, or anyone else for that matter.”

Baekhyun simply nods.

“Got it.”

Sehun holds out his left hand, and tugs on a piece of loose skin by his nail. He hisses slightly as he pulls it back along his finger, splitting his skin apart. He gasps when the same green flesh Baekhyun saw last week is exposed.

He reaches his ripped hand out to Baekhyun.

“You – You can touch,” he stammers.

Baekhyun takes the larger hand into his smaller ones, examining the green underneath Sehun’s skin. It’s oddly stringy and Baekhyun can only just see that it is fibrous. Much like wood.

“I don’t… understand,” he says softly.

He looks up at Sehun in wonder.

“What _are_ you?”

Sehun only smiles and fishes out a small pocket knife from his shirt pocket. On the same finger he tore skin from, he slices into his fingertip, cutting deep enough to reach a vein. He winces, but turns his hand over to reveal the strange blood dripping from his finger.

“I promise it’s not poisonous or anything, just… smell and tell me what you think it is.”

Baekhyun frowns at the strange request, but sniffs at the golden substance anyway.

“It’s… sweet-smelling,” he says eyes widening even more as he looks up again.

“Have you figured it out?”

Sehun takes his hand back and sucks his finger into his mouth. When he pulls it back out, the skin has knitted itself together and the cut has stopped bleeding.

“Well, you’re made of… wood?”

“That’s not even half of the story,” chuckles Sehun, “there’s more to it than that.”

“And your blood is… syrup? Honey?”

“It’s not honey, I can tell you that, but you _could_ make syrup from my blood. It wouldn’t taste very good though.”

“So… It’s tree sap?”

“That is correct,” Sehun nods, fidgeting with the knife in his lap.

“You’re a tree?” tries Baekhyun, tracing shapes in the moss as he watches Sehun’s face for any clues.

“Tree spirit, Dryad, Tree nymph, whatever. I’m not just a tree, I’m a nature spirit.”

“That’s… cool,” Baekhyun finally says.

“Kind of explains a lot of things about you as well. You’re not bony, you’re wooden, and that thing about the twig – sorry about that, again, and why you don’t really wear jackets, even when it’s pretty chilly out, like now. ”

“This is just who I am,” Sehun shrugs.

“Well, maybe you’re lying. Maybe you’re just trying to make me believe you’re some benevolent nature spirit, when you really want to suck my soul out. Or something to that effect.”

He gestures about to emphasise his point. He looks somewhat frazzled and his shoulders are still shaking. Sehun frowns but his expressions softens just as quickly:

“You’re not scared of me, are you?” he leans in closers to Baekhyun, placing a hand on Baekhyun’s knee.

Baekhyun flushes red, a rosy pink that spreads warmth along his cheeks and down his neck. Up close, Sehun’s high cheekbones, thin lips and sleepy eyes look so much more intense. His eyes are a soft brown that is not as dark as Baekhyun’s own. He rests a hand over Sehun’s.

“Only a little,” he whispers, leaning in to rest his forehead on Sehun’s bony – wooden, shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

At one point they’re lazing about on the grass in the glade together, when the heavens open up and it begins to pour. Baekhyun immediately pulls his jacket on and heads for cover under the trees. Sehun simply tugs his shirt off and stays seated on the tree stump, leaning back on his arms and letting the rain soak him.

Baekhyun’s eyes widen in shock yet again, when he spots what appears to be a tattoo curling up Sehun’s side. It’s a large black tree with leaves a faded shade of Sehun’s hair. Red dulled down to a more salmon like colour. The tattoo moves slightly as if it’s being blown by wind. The rest of Sehun’s skin appears to be paper white and Baekhyun can’t help but be mesmerised by the almost-glow radiating off Sehun.

Sehun seems to be oblivious to Baekhyun’s stares, as he curls up on the stump with his shirt stuffed under his head as a pillow. He sighs in contentment as he seems to be rejuvenated by the rain drops.

He falls asleep like that, with Baekhyun watching him in the rain.

Baekhyun doesn’t even feel the need to leave.

It’s enough to just watch Sehun sleep and the autumn leaves dance on the canvas of his skin.

 

 

 

 

 

Zitao and Baekhyun are sitting in Baekhyun’s room for yet another study session. They’d grabbed a few pop tarts and a carton of milk from the kitchen and were now comfortably nestled on the rug nibbling on their snacks.

“You’ve gotten close to Sehun,” Zitao’s voice breaks Baekhyun away from his daydream.

“I have?” he asks.

He has been spending lunch with Sehun as much as he can, talking about books or school, but never about what Baekhyun saw in the forest. He’s not stupid.

“Yeah, I’ve been forced to hang out with the basketball team.”

“No one’s forcing you to, you know?” says Baekhyun airily, twirling his pen in his fingers.

“There’s only so much of Lu Han being all over Kai I can handle. At least being with the basketball team means I can be with Wu Fan.”

He leans in close to Baekhyun and wraps an arm around his shoulder:

“I heard something interesting about Chanyeol from Wu Fan, actually.”

Baekhyun looks up when he hears Chanyeol’s name.

“And that is?”

“He had a thing with Kyungsoo for a while, but it was all hush-hush, and now it’s over.”

Last school year, Baekhyun would have jumped for joy at this, but now something’s stopping him.

“Oh,” is all he can really say.

“’Oh’? is that all you can say, Baek? Seriously?” Zitao has an incredulous look on his face.

“Um, I guess that it’s better off for them?” tries Baekhyun, taking a bite of a pop tart.

“If I had told you this a month ago you would have thrown yourself at Chanyeol ass-first.”

Baekhyun scowls.

“Well, maybe I don’t really like Chanyeol? He’s got a nice body but that isn’t everything.”

“But he’s got a heart of gold,” exclaims Zitao.

“You’re the one who’s always complaining about him being annoying around you and Wu Fan.”

Something clicks in Zitao’s head, because his expression changes from disbelief to understanding.

“Something happened between you and Sehun,” it’s not even a question.

“May- Maybe? Define _something_ ,” Baekhyun trips over his own words and he can feel his cheeks heating up.

“Did you make out? Or did you do something more than that?” Zitao tackles Baekhyun to the floor, nearly knocking the milk over.

“Watch it!”

“Come on Beef, tell me,” nags Zitao with a pout.

“If I tell you we kissed will you leave me alone?” Baekhyun sighs, lying is the only way out.

“No. I need more details than that.”

Baekhyun struggles under his best friend’s hold. He gives up quickly, knowing that Zitao is too big and built for him to even _try_  to move.

“He tastes like honey, no joke. And he’s actually pretty good. Happy?”

Zitao smiles like the cat who got the cream as he lets Baekhyun up. He sits back on his heels, still straddling Baekhyun. He simply glares up at Zitao.

“I’m going to keep an eye on you two,” Zitao warns as he gets off him.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Thursday and Zitao is still keeping his promise of ‘keeping an eye’ on Sehun and him. Baekhyun isn’t too disturbed by it. He knows Zitao means well, even if he’s a tad abrasive from time to time.

He tries to ignore him for the most part and it works. He just sits together with Sehun as they eat lunch together – indoors now, as it’s becoming too cold to Baekhyun’s liking to eat outdoors.

Sehun has dyed his hair black, with Baekhyun’s help. And the roots of his hair are no longer bright red but are fading to a dull maroon.

They don’t talk much. Instead, they listen to music, sharing earphones as Sehun reads whatever book has caught his interest and Baekhyun eats cold sandwiches.

At some point, they start to hold hands under the table.

Baekhyun decides he likes the feel of Sehun’s hands. His hands aren’t warm, but they aren’t cold either. The muscles of Sehun’s hands are stiff but his skin is still perfectly soft and smooth. His fingers are long and Baekhyun’s small fingers fit nicely between his knot-like knuckles. Baekhyun leans on Sehun’s shoulder reading along with him.

He smiles when he realises Sehun’s reading the story of Apollo and Daphne. Gently, he squeezes Sehun’s hand and asks:

“Surely you wouldn’t run from me?”

Sehun turns his head and smiles.

“I wouldn’t, there’s no need to. I wasn’t struck by a lead arrow.”

“Was it a golden arrow then?” asks Baekhyun with a grin.

Sehun only laughs softly and doesn’t reply.

 

 

 

 

 

Their weekends are spent in the clearing. Baekhyun’s getting better at navigating through forest paths and Sehun teaches him about which plants he can eat, which are best to be avoided.

Nowadays, Baekhyun brings a thick woollen blanket, and a thermos filled with cream mushroom soup. He brings his phone with him, even though he can’t get a good signal from the forest.

The blanket is more for himself, though he feels bad about not having to actually share it.

Sehun simply strips down to his jeans and lays on the grass, watching Baekhyun, occasionally speaking to him.

He lets his bare feet slide over the soft blades, toes curling in the dirt and fingers tangling with Baekhyun’s gloved ones.

“I wish you wouldn’t wear those,” he complains, tugging on the wool.

“Unlike you, I feel cold and it’s not exactly nice,” answers Baekhyun, pulling his hand back to screw the lid back on his thermos.

He pushes the blanket off himself and takes his coat off, leaving him in a long sleeved shirt. He beckons Sehun to come lie next to him. He pulls his gloves off, shivering and takes Sehun’s hands into his own.

“Would you rather we’d be together like this then?”

Sehun frowns.

“No, of course not.”

He pulls the blanket around the two of them, locking his arms around Baekhyun’s shoulders.

“Still cold?” he asks, face centimetres away from Baekhyun’s.

“Will you let me put my coat on if I say yes?”

With a huff Sehun wriggles out from under the blanket and goes to sulk on the tree stump. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and gets up, he sits behind Sehun on the stump, wrapping his arms loosely around Sehun’s waist.

“Sorry…” he whispers.

Sehun sighs, then smiles turning his head to nuzzle against Baekhyun’s cheek.

“It’s not your fault I’m a tree.”

 

 

 

 

 

When the first snow falls, Sehun arrives at school looking whiter and more tired than ever. There are bags under his eyes and Baekhyun feels tired just looking at him. He knows that under the beanie Sehun’s wearing, the roots of his hair are a grey-brown, reflecting how dead this particular season is.

Zitao can only smirk.

“Is there a _reason_ Sehun looks so tired?”

Though he quiets down when Baekhyun glares daggers at him.

                                

 

 

 

 

 

It’s too cold for Baekhyun to go to the glade now, so Baekhyun and Sehun come up with a warmer alternative.

A little while after midnight on a Friday night, Baekhyun hears a light tapping at his window, he unlatches the window and helps Sehun up and in his room. He’s not wearing much. Just a very worn shirt and a pair of jeans that have definitely seen better days.

Sehun curls up on the soft rug, humming happily when Baekhyun settles beside him. He pulls a pillow down from his bed for Sehun, as he’s happy simply resting his head on Sehun’s shoulder.

“This is much better than the forest, I think,” Baekhyun says, sighing into the crook of Sehun’s neck.

“I prefer feeling soil beneath my feet, but I can see the appeal for you,” replies Sehun.

Before Baekhyun can answer, he kisses Baekhyun’s forehead softly. Baekhyun’s cheeks turn red-hot in an instant and he hides his face in Sehun’s shoulder.

“No…” he groans.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry, I mean you’re perfect the way you are and I’m just… human.”

“But I think that your humanity is a beautiful thing.”

Sehun sits up and braces his arms on either side of Baekhyun’s head. He arranges his knees around Baekhyun’s wide hips, straddling him. He traces a line running from behind Baekhyun’s ear, along his jugular vein and down his chest. When he reaches Baekhyun’s heart, he stops. His stiff hand rests atop the dull throbbing.

“For one thing, you have a heart.”

Sehun smiles when he feels Baekhyun’s heart beat kick into overdrive, the slow lub-dub turning into a thrum beneath his fingertips.

“Even without words you can show how you feel, just by something that squeezes and relaxes to keep your blood flow normal.”

He leans in close to Baekhyun’s face.

“And that’s beautiful.”

He lets his lips hover just above Baekhyun’s:

“So beautiful.”

Baekhyun knows that Sehun can feel how his heart is threatening to burst in his chest. He hooks an hand around Sehun’s neck and pulls him down to press their lips together.

It’s an innocent kiss It’s as if Baekhyun is six years old again and it’s nothing like the last time he was kissed. Backed into a wall at a party and half-drunk.

Even though it’s not open-mouthed, Baekhyun swears he can taste honey on Sehun. His scent of fresh air weakens Baekhyun and his hand slips away from Sehun’s neck.

Sehun pulls back.

Baekhyun opens his eyes.

Sehun is gone and the window is left open.

 

 

 

 

 

The following night, Sehun doesn’t come to Baekhyun’s room. The following day, he can’t seem to reach Sehun on his phone. He guesses that he’s in the forest again.

He doesn’t really like the idea of trekking through the wood in the freezing cold, but he supposes that if he wants to fix whatever it is that’s between him and Sehun, he must.

So he bundles up, bringing his blanket and thermos and makes his way to the glade.

When he finally finds it, it seems so different, coated in a thin layer of ice and snow. The trees are bare and reach up into the sky like burnt black fingers.

Sehun’s wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and sits in his usual spot on the stump. There’s frost on his skin. He turns when he hears Baekhyun approaching.

“Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun doesn’t answer instead he kneels in front of Sehun and hugs him tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” Sehun places a hand on Baekhyun head.

Baekhyun shivers against Sehun. His skin is ice cold against Baekhyun’s cheek and Sehun pushes him away gently to cup his face.

“Why are you apologising?”

“I thought I went to far… you know?” he admits softly, gloved fingers encircling Sehun’s wrists.

“You didn’t. I was simply afraid.”

Baekhyun heaves a sigh of relief and smiles up at Sehun.

“You shouldn’t be. I’m not scared of you, don’t be scared of me.”

Sehun flushes gold, it’s only slightly visible through the frost on his cheeks. He bites his lower lip.

“I’m not really used to this. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not really… sociable.”

“That’s okay,” Baekhyun assures him, “I like you as you are.”

Baekhyun holds back a laugh as he watches Sehun’s face light up. He gasps when Sehun pulls him closer and stops just before their lips meet.

“Do you mind this?”

“Not at all,” Baekhyun whispers without a second thought.

Sehun’s kiss is warm despite his frozen lips.

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is approaching and Zitao just won’t shut up about a party Chanyeol is hosting on New Years Eve. Last year, Baekhyun would have eagerly jumped on the chance to somehow obtain an invite, this year is different, and it goes without saying why.

Despite the fact that Baekhyun spends most of his time during school with either Sehun or Zitao, Baekhyun is invited by Chanyeol himself. The smile on Chanyeol’s face promises him a New Year’s kiss alongside a bit more than that.

Baekhyun is largely unaffected by his grin and hesitates for a brief moment, but he knows he’ll never hear the end of it from Zitao if he misses this.

He nods and answers cheerily that he’ll go.

Chanyeol’s grin just widens as he promises he’ll send him the rest of the details via facebook.

As Chanyeol leaves, Baekhyun sighs.

 

 

 

 

 

Four days until Christmas and Sehun is oddly restless. In Baekhyun’s room, he tries to warm up as best he can and snuggle as close to Baekhyun as he can. He seems more eager for contact than usual.

It’s not lost on Baekhyun.

“Is something wrong?” he simply asks as Sehun wriggles about for the umpteenth time.

“Tonight is the winter solstice,” is the vague answer.

Baekhyun frowns.

“What does that mean?” he sits up, looking down at Sehun.

“It means that time will fly by now. And I want to spend it with you.”

Sehun doesn’t say anything after that. He locks his arms around Baekhyun’s and presses cool kisses to his forehead.

Baekhyun falls asleep to Sehun stroking his hair with knotted fingers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas comes and goes. Baekhyun feels like Christmas has become uneventful, though he still happily opens his presents with his parents. It’s nice to pretend he’s a kid again.

Before he knows it, Zitao is trying to force him into a pair of skin tight black skinny jeans. He tugs them on and takes the eyeliner from Zitao before he pokes his eye out with it. He’s not really excited for the party though he knows he should at least _try_ to look happy.

He lines his eyes carefully and tousles his hair with _just_ the right amount of hair wax.

“God, Baek, look at you!” Zitao chirps, playing with his hair.

“Thanks,” says Baekhyun, he rubs the back of his neck before giving Zitao a once-over.

“Wu Fan won’t be able to keep his hands off you,” he remarks teasingly, slapping Zitao’s ass playfully.

Zitao only laughs and drags him along.

 

 

 

 

 

The bass is pumping throughout the entire house, Baekhyun can immediately feel it when he steps onto the porch. Chanyeol opens the front door with a flourish and puts his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulder at the first chance he gets.

Baekhyun doesn’t mind too much. As long as he doesn’t try anything funny on him, he should be fine.

About half an hour to midnight he can see Zitao stumbling about the house and into Wu Fan’s arms. His cheeks are flushed and his gaze his hazy.

Spiked punch, Baekhyun thinks.

He had only had a few drinks, just enough for a pleasant buzz. His own cheeks are slightly warm and he wobbles out onto the porch to cool down.

“Hey,” he hears a deep voice.

He turns to see Chanyeol leaning against the door frame, half-smile on his face. He takes a seat beside Baekhyun and wraps an arms around Baekhyun’s shoulder for a second time tonight.

Chanyeol smells nice, Baekhyun thinks as he unconsciously leans into his hold. Though it’s far more artificial than Sehun. It’s the kind of musky wood scent that comes from a bottle.

“Hey,” is Baekhyun’s small reply.

He’s definitely not stupid and he knows exactly what Chanyeol wants, if not just a kiss.

“Do you mind?” he asks when he pulls a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket.

“I don’t,” answers Baekhyun, shaking his head.

Chanyeol is sweet, he asks Baekhyun about how his Christmas was, if he’s enjoying the party. All the while, his hand slips down to Baekhyun’s waist to settle comfortably in the gentle dip. His hand feels pleasantly warm there, pulling Baekhyun closer.

His side profile is really nice, Baekhyun notes, even with that cigarette dangling from his plush lips. He pulls the cigarette from his mouth and sets it down on an ash tray.

He turns to look into Baekhyun’s eyes and Baekhyun’s heart has just about stopped beating.

Chanyeol’s lips are soft. So very different to Sehun’s cold chapped ones. His skin is so incredibly hot and Baekhyun feels like he’s going to burst into flames like this. He lets Chanyeol push him against the wooden post behind until he finally snaps out of it when Chanyeol’s tongue laps at the seam of his lips.

“No!”

He pushes Chanyeol away and covers his mouth. He can feel the hot sting of tears in his eyes and his heart feels heavy.

“I. I have a boyfriend,” he manages to stutter.

Chanyeol’s frown softens and he gets up.

“Sorry.”

It’s curt and Baekhyun doesn’t know if he wants to bash his head against the wooden post behind him or run after Chanyeol into the house.

All he knows is that he can taste ash in his mouth, while all he wants is to taste syrup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s early in the morning on the first day of the new year and Baekhyun feels like he’s been kicked in the stomach as he curls up in bed.

He’s disgusted with himself and he doesn’t want Sehun to know. But he knows that he’ll have to tell him at some point, he’ll never forgive himself if he stays silent about this.

He rolls over in bed to face the window, where Sehun is sitting on the ledge, smile on his face.

Baekhyun’s eyes widen, but he still gets up and lets him in. He nearly starts to cry as Sehun hugs him close.

His skin is so cold.

“Happy new year,” Sehun chirps, cupping Baekhyun’s face in his hands.

“Happy new year,” croaks Baekhyun, hands around Sehun’s wrists.

Sehun frowns.

“You don’t seem very happy.”

Baekhyun pulls Sehun’s hands from his face and averts his gaze.

“I’m not. I did something stupid.”

Sehun’s frown deepens and he pulls Baekhyun along to sit on his bed. He kneels in front of Baekhyun, resting his hands on Baekhyun’s knees.

“What happened?”

Not, ‘what did you do?’, Baekhyun notes.

“I kissed – was kissed, by someone last night.”

The hurt on Sehun’s face is evident and Baekhyun bites his lip to stop himself from crying.

“I’m sorry, Sehun, I didn’t want to but it just happened. You have every right to be angry with me and I’ll understand if you want to… stop, whatever it is we have,” he says it quickly, the words tumbling from his mouth.

He’s so ashamed and scared that when he opens his eyes Sehun will be gone.

Instead, Baekhyun stiffens when he feels Sehun’s hands on his shoulders. His eyes open when he feels cold lips on his. Sehun pulls back, he speaks:

“I’m not leaving you. You said you were the one who was kissed, not the one who kissed. And I want to believe you. I believe you.”

His icy hand rests on Baekhyun’s cheek, thumb tracing small frigid circles into his skin. The fat tears that were threatening to spill over finally fall and Baekhyun buries his face in Sehun’s neck as he sobs, relieved.

 

 

 

 

 

The days are getting longer, slowly but surely. Baekhyun still spends his nights with Sehun in his room. Now in mid-January, it’s the coldest it’s been in a year. Sehun’s skin is absolutely icy to the touch now and it almost burns to hold him the moment he steps into his room.

Though Baekhyun doesn’t really mind. He swaddles Sehun in pre-heated blankets until he warms up to a temperature Baekhyun is relatively comfortable with. Then he simply unwraps Sehun partially so he can slip inside beside Sehun and hold him.

They don’t kiss often.

Instead, they’re content with simply enjoying the feeling of arms encircling each other.

Sehun’s still slightly nervous when it comes to that anyway, and Baekhyun doesn’t want to push him.

Occasionally Baekhyun feels a pair of cool lips to his forehead and he simply sighs and tangles his fingers in the grey hair at the nape of Sehun’s neck.

He wishes this would never end.

 

 

 

 

 

When Sehun’s roots are starting to turn a faded green, they know that spring is near. Baekhyun is finally comfortable enough with the temperature to come with Sehun to the glade, with his same blanket and thermos of course.

He still listens to music, reads books and does his homework as Sehun does little else but laze about in the grass and dirt.

Sehun’s scent becomes stronger and their soft closed-mouth kisses become sweeter as the weeks go on. He no longer looks tired and the bags under his eyes are gone. His hugs aren’t as stiff and his skin is no longer as dry.

He eagerly drinks from the now unfrozen stream he and Baekhyun pass on their way to the meadow.

Baekhyun’s smile brightens with each day Sehun seems more alive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of March, the roots of Sehun’s hair are a bright green and Baekhyun only brings his blanket with him for comfort, rather than to shield him from the cold.

He doesn’t shy away when Sehun holds him anymore, his skin isn’t that cold anymore.

In fact he wants more contact with Sehun.

So the next time Sehun is crouching by his blanket, bare-footed, shirtless and long fingers tracing along Baekhyun’s jaw line, he pulls him in for a kiss.

Gently as he possibly can, he tilts his head and glides his tongue along Sehun’s lower lip.

Sehun pulls back in surprise, ears and cheeks turning a shade of honey.

“Whu- what,” he sputters, falling back.

“Sorry,” says Baekhyun sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“I kind of wanted to try something.”

Sehun is still gold-faced and hides his face in his hands.

“It’s all right, you just took me by surprise,” he mumbles.

He emerges from behind his hands.

“You can try again – if you want.”

Baekhyun doesn’t need to be told twice, and for the first time, he can honestly say that Sehun tastes like syrup, nuts and a certain flavour that is just Sehun.

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun wants to show more of his own world to Sehun, though he soon realises that he’s actually quite boring. He doesn’t have any sports he’s interested in. He isn’t a huge fan of science, though he has started to read a few books on botany.

But then he decides to sing for Sehun.

When Baekhyun sings for the first time in front of Sehun, Sehun’s whole expression changes. Like he doesn’t know whether to look awed or simply gaze at Baekhyun as if his non-existent heart is so swollen in his chest he might break apart into a million splinters.

Baekhyun’s voice is clear and sweet, he reaches notes high enough to send shivers down Sehun’s would-be spine.

And when he touches Sehun as he sings, his voice echoes throughout the meadow and Baekhyun swears that he can be heard even at the edge of the forest.

At first Baekhyun only sings random songs he remembers off the top of his head.

Though Sehun soon has a favourite song and he begs Baekhyun to sing it for him, over and over.

Baekhyun readily complies as the look on Sehun’s face makes his own heart swell with pride. It’s a song that seems to be about Original Sin. Despite the fact that Baekhyun isn’t exactly religious, he still finds the concept of the loss of paradise beautiful.

He hopes that he can keep his own paradise forever.

At least that’s what he thinks when he sees Sehun lying in the grass in the shade of the meadow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s yet another afternoon in the glade. Baekhyun is sitting against a tree, while Sehun rests his head on his lap.

Baekhyun has just finished the song for the third time today when Sehun cups his face and calls him something that makes Baekhyun’s heart skip a few beats.

“ _My Songbird_.”

“The Songbird who fell for the Tree Spirit,” says Baekhyun, stroking Sehun’s newly-dyed black hair.

“The Tree Spirit who wanted to keep the Songbird forever, but he forgot that birds always fly away,” Sehun’s face falls as he says the last part.

“But this is a Songbird who is different from other birds. He wants to stay with the Tree Spirit and make his nest in the Tree Spirit’s heart.” Baekhyun kisses where Sehun’s heart would be.

“The Tree Spirit has no heart.”

“He does. The songbird found it a while ago. It may not be like the songbird’s heart, but it definitely is there.”

For the first time since they met, Sehun cries. But his tears are not watery. Instead the stick and leave green-gold tracks on his skin. He sniffs and shakes. His hands clench and unclench in Baekhyun’s jacket. His cries are loud and remind Baekhyun of a child’s.

Baekhyun tries to wipe the tears away but hisses and pulls his hands back.

His hand stings, and the sticky residue leaves raised red welts on his skin.

“Oh god, sorry,” gasps Sehun, still trembling and tears still sliding down his face.

“I didn’t mean to -”

“It’s okay, Sehun. I’ve cried many times in front of you. You wiped my tears away, so I’ll do the same for you.”

He rubs the tears away with the sleeve of his jacket, biting back a hiss every time his skin accidentally meets the syrupy liquid.

They stay like that for the rest of the afternoon, Sehun crying and Baekhyun comforting him.

“I just wish I could be human, for you,” he sobs.

 

 

 

 

 

Zitao is not pleased, Baekhyun figures.

He’d been a pretty terrible friend for the passed months since the start of the new year, though he had been sure to answer all of Zitao’s calls. However being in the meadow meant not being reachable.

So Zitao has every right to be glaring at him like this.

“I tried calling you twenty-one times. _Twenty-one times,_ Byun Baekhyun.”

“I’m sorry,” Baekhyun winces at Zitao’s sharp tone and puts his arm around Zitao’s shoulder.

“I just didn’t know what to do. So I needed to call you,” Zitao says softly, hiding his face in his hands.

“Let it all out, I’ll listen to you now, I promise.”

“It was so surreal, at first I was just talking to Wu Fan, he sounded like he had just finished practice, but it was already eight in the evening.”

“And then,” he continues “I heard Chanyeol come in and say something about him being sore in the morning.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen.

“Seriously?! No way, Wu Fan loves you, doesn’t he? I thought you’d move to New York at the first chance you got and get married.”

“Loves me enough to go and fuck his team mate,” Zitao bites his lip and rubs at his eyes, willing himself to not cry.

“He wasn’t good enough for you then,” scoffs Baekhyun.

Zitao looks at him and bites his lip.

“You think?”

“Anyone who would be crazy enough to do that to you is definitely not good enough. You don’t realise how beautiful you really are, Zitao. Understand that you’re smart, kind-hearted, athletic, funny, and your looks are an added bonus.”

Baekhyun hugs him tightly.

“You’re special and you deserve someone who understands that, not some bastard like him.”

Zitao buries his face in Baekhyun shoulder.

“Thanks, Boxian,” he hiccups through his sobs.

 

 

 

 

 

Soon enough, Zitao has found a new boyfriend. His name is Minseok and he’s short – as short as Baekhyun, and is completely different to Wu Fan.

And even now, Baekhyun has to listen to the raunchy details of Zitao’s sex life.

“You know how Minseok’s a dancer right? His hips are just perfect, and - ”

Zitao stops mid-sentence.

“Have you and Sehun fucked yet?” he suddenly asks.

He sits up on Baekhyun’s bed and peers over the edge at the foot of the bed. Baekhyun’s lying facedown on a pillow on his rug.

“Held hands, hugged, kissed like six year olds, made out a little, but other than that – nothing,” is Baekhyun’s muffled response.

Zitao hums.

“I really don’t get how he can resist you, with an ass like that. Or would you top?”

Baekhyun rolls over to look at his smirking best friend, his cheeks are scarlet.

“Maybe he’s a bit old-fashioned? It took me months to kiss him for the first time.”

In reality, Baekhyun really does want to go a bit further than just kissing with Sehun. But he’s not sure how it would actually work between them. He’s jacked off to thoughts of Sehun’s naked body, but he doesn’t even know what Tree Spirits bodies are supposed to be like. For all he knows Sehun has absolutely nothing between his legs.

The thought doesn’t bother him that much, but he secretly hopes that Sehun is human enough in that sense.

“We’re working on it though,” Baekhyun adds hastily before Zitao can say anything else that will make him blush like a school girl.

 

 

 

 

One day in Spring, it’s sweltering, and Baekhyun is stripped down to a singlet and shorts. It’s not even May and it’s already this hot. Sehun is wearing a flannel shirt – one of Baekhyun’s old ones that’s actually too big for him and shorts.

Baekhyun is all stretched out in the shade, skin coated with s thin layer of sweat.

“It’s _so_ hot,” he complains, rubbing the sweat off his forehead.

“If only I could be like you, undisturbed by the cold _or_ the heat.”

“I’m not completely undisturbed though,” remarks Sehun.

“Though it’s not really noticeable, in Winter my body is far more brittle and my fingers can break if I’m not careful.”

“But I don’t see how you’d break something in the winter.”

“Think of it this way,” says Sehun, “If I were to, however unlikely, fall whilst climbing a rock wall in winter to find a place to stay, I’d break apart like a dry tree branch.”

“But that aside, do you want to come with me to the lake?”

Baekhyun sits up and stares at Sehun.

“There’s a lake?”

“There is, but it’s quite a hike to get there.”

“How far?” presses Baekhyun.

“I think we could make it there in half an hour, maybe forty minutes, but it’s a quite a climb to get there,” says Sehun as he gets to his feet and pulls Baekhyun up.

“I could carry you if you get too tired to walk.”

“I can walk just fine,” Baekhyun huffs, in the time that he had spent with Sehun, he had improved quite a bit with hiking and running.

“Excellent.”

 

 

 

 

 

The trek to the lake wasn’t as hard as Sehun made it out to be, though Baekhyun’s shirt stuck uncomfortably to his back now. The lake itself wasn’t very large, a river basin surrounded by lush greenery that seemed like something from a fantasy movie.

Or maybe it just felt like that to Baekhyun because of way Sehun held his hand.

Though only in the shade of the clearing and in the darkness of his room, Baekhyun has seen Sehun shirtless many times before. It’s a whole other kind of experience to see Sehun in the spring sunlight.

He had always cut P.E. as he complained about having a medical condition that caused him to have stiff joints. Baekhyun figures that having a literally wooden skeleton has its downsides.

Sehun easily unbuttons his flannel shirt and throws it on the grass, leaving his shorts on. His skin is white – like birch bark, but instead of dry it appears to be smooth and supple. He’s thin, but doesn’t look emaciated, just right between lean and skinny. His shoulders are broad and his hips narrow, so very different to Baekhyun’s body.

When Sehun turns to beckon Baekhyun into the water, a lump rises in Baekhyun’s throat.

He swallows it down, and shucks his own shirt, taking his phone and keys out of his pockets and placing them on it. He slowly wades into the water, letting Sehun pull him further along into the water by his hand until they’re both waist deep.

No matter how many times Baekhyun feels Sehun’s skin under his small hands, he’s fascinated. Though Sehun’s skin is almost velvety, the muscle beneath it feels like the grains in tree bark, the nubs of his spine like knots.

His skin smells of fresh leaves, moss and slightly of damp soil. Baekhyun decides that it’s his favourite scent when he inhales deeply, face pressed into Sehun’s shoulder.

His lower half is freezing, though Sehun appears unaffected by the temperature. Sehun’s thin fingers card through his hair before tilting his chin up.

“Got you,” he whispers before jerking Baekhyun underwater with him.

Baekhyun kicks out at him in response and struggles to the surface.

“Asshole!” he cries, smacking Sehun’s shoulder as Sehun simply bursts into laughter.

Baekhyun frowns before letting his lips quirk into a smile. He swims further out into the clear water, beckoning Sehun to follow him.

He ducks underwater and yanks Sehun under by his ankle. When he comes up for air, Sehun’s smirking.

“You’ll never beat me at staying under water for the longest,” he says.

“And why not?”

“I don’t have lungs.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes. _Of course he wouldn’t have lungs, he’s a tree._

“Is there anything you can do that isn’t like a lame super power?”

“Not really, to be frank. I can regenerate fairly quickly and I don’t really scar. But you’ve seen that before.”

“And I can heal people, sort of,” he adds as an afterthought.

“That’s pretty cool,” says Baekhyun, doggy paddling a bit closer but still wary of the other pulling him under.

“But there’s only so much I can do, you know? I can heal a gash with a bit of trouble, but if someone is mortally wounded or sick, I can’t help them,” he explains as he pulls Baekhyun to float in his arms.

“That makes sense, but is it like an age thing or does it have something to do with the kind of tree you are?” asks Baekhyun.

“Age thing. You could be a little cherry tree and still be able to heal more than a redwood.”

“How old are you then? You never told me,” presses Baekhyun, locking his arms around Sehun’s waist.

“Probably too old to be around you,” says Sehun.

“But don’t humans have that saying: ‘age is but a number’?”

 

 

 

 

 

A few hours later, they’re lying next to each other on the grass near the water’s edge. It’s lush and soft, Sehun sighs as if it’s the best bed he’s ever laid down on. Baekhyun’s resting his head on Sehun’s shoulder, tracing his fingers along the strange tree tattoo on Sehun’s side.

The last time he had seen it in natural sunlight, it had orange and red leaves sprouting from it. Now, in late April the tree is green and is the same shade as the roots of Sehun’s hair.

“You should really re-dye your hair,” he says.

“You don’t like it?” Sehun pouts.

“It’s more like you can’t really blame green roots on a trick of the light anymore,”

Baekhyun sits up and kisses Sehun lightly on his nose. He brings a hand up to brush Sehun’s hair out of his eyes.

“I like your green hair though, I wish you didn’t have to dye it all the time.”

Sehun smiles warmly rolling onto his side to press his forehead to Baekhyun’s.

“I’m glad you like it so much.”

Baekhyun inches closer, placing a delicate hand on Sehun’s waist. His lips only a hair’s breadth away from Sehun’s.

“Can… Can I?” he asks softly, he still asks.

Sehun closes the distance between them and Baekhyun feels like he’s floating. Sehun’s lips are gentle against his and he hungrily kisses back.

Sehun tastes so, so sweet.

He doesn’t taste like maple, of course, but it’s a kind of honey-sweet that drives Baekhyun insane. Baekhyun is close to falling apart when Sehun slowly slips his tongue in his mouth. Baekhyun squeaks when Sehun presses a leg between his thighs.

He pulls back.

“S-Sorry,” apologises Sehun, averting his gaze.

“It’s been a while since… I’ve done this.”

“That’s ok… I’ve _never_ done this, actually,” admits Baekhyun, sitting up.

“You want to take things slow?” says Sehun as he rights himself as well, placing a hand on Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun laughs into his free hand and kisses Sehun on the cheek.

“Not necessarily, I _do_ want you. But…”

“But what?”

“I don’t want my first time doing something like that to be in dirt and grass. I’m only a human, after all.”

Sehun blushes honey at that, the tips of his ears nearly a perfect gold.

“I-I understand that,” he stutters as he gets to his feet and pulls Baekhyun up.

“Come by my window tonight,” he says sliding his hands into Sehun’s back pockets.

Sehun can only nod, cheeks still nearly glowing gold.

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun is nervous that night. He’d been sure to shower, and used this soap he’d recently gotten that claimed to be odourless and free of chemicals. Though because it’s factory-made soap, he still thinks Sehun might wrinkle his nose at the very faint smell.

He’d called Zitao, as he had more experience. Though most of Zitao’s advice consisted of _relax_ and _just do what would feel good for you, you know?_ , which wasn’t exactly helpful, because Baekhyun is a human and Sehun is _not._

So he just sits on his bed, checking a few things on facebook on his phone. He’s just about to like the post on Zitao being in a relationship when he hears a knock at  his window.

Baekhyun nearly jumps out of his skin but quickly lets Sehun in.

He gasps when the first thing Sehun does is press his lips to his and tangle his fingers in Baekhyun hair.

When he pulls back for a brief moment, Baekhyun manages:

“Let’s take things slow.”

Sehun’s cheeks turn gold as he nods. He sits down on Baekhyun’s bed, reaching out to take Baekhyun’s hand. He gently pulls Baekhyun towards him.

“I’m not sure about how this will work,” mumbles Baekhyun as Sehun squeezes his hand.

“That’s all right,” Sehun curves a hand around Baekhyun’s ear, brushing the hair back.

“I mean, I’m not sure what _Tree Spirits_ are,” Baekhyun can feel the blush creeping up his neck, “like _there,_ you know?”

Sehun’s eyes widen and he nods.

“Oh, like that.”

He swallows.

“I don’t mind if you want me to…?”

Baekhyun’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire as he nods that yes, he does want him to.

Sehun doesn’t feel the same amount of embarrassment as Baekhyun does when it comes to having to strip down. So he doesn’t blush when he pulls his shirt off, and there’s only a light dusting of gold when he unbuttons his jeans. Baekhyun turns beetroot red when he spots _green_ just coming out at the top of Sehun’s jeans.

Sehun leaves them on and instead pushes Baekhyun down on the plush mattress.

“Just tell me if you’re uncomfortable,” he whispers in Baekhyun’s ear.

Baekhyun nods weakly, heart throbbing.

Sehun’s hands are cool against his skin, as he pushes Baekhyun’s shirt up. His fingertips skate along his ribs, making Baekhyun’s chest flutter.

Baekhyun’s not sure how it’s possible but Sehun’s kiss tastes more sugary than normal. His breath hitches in his throat as Sehun’s hand rests over his heart. He reaches out and places his hand over Sehun’s chest.

“I feel your heartbeat,” he murmurs.

It’s not a lie, but it’s not the truth either. It’s not really his heart, as he hasn’t got one, but it’s from the spark Baekhyun feels running through his veins from being around Sehun. A steady beat that matches his own.

Sehun smiles and leans down again, sugary sweet lips on Baekhyun’s pulse.

“I think I love you,” he whispers, just under Baekhyun’s ear.

Baekhyun’s breathing stops for a moment and he pushes Sehun away to look him in the eyes.

“I think I love you too.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sehun looks, for all intents and purposes, like an ordinary teenage boy (save for his interesting natural hair colour). Or so Baekhyun discovers when he finally strips down to nothing.

Baekhyun’s already been completely bared for a while when Sehun kicks his pants off. He shyly curls up against Baekhyun to hide himself but unfurls when Baekhyun pouts and whispers:

“I want to see you.”

Sehun sits up against the pillows and headboard, his hand covers his mouth and blush. Baekhyun tries his best not to gape at Sehun’s milky skin, narrow hips and – the source of Sehun’s embarrassment, his sizeable member lying against his stomach.

“Oh,” is all Baekhyun can say.

“At least I look human?” Sehun tries, gold glow on his cheeks.

Baekhyun smiles, he’s blushing at least as much as Sehun is. He moves forward to straddle Sehun’s slim hips.

“You’re really beautiful, you know that?”

Sehun closes his eyes and tries to hide his face in his hands. Baekhyun closes a hand around one of his wrists, gently pulling Sehun’s hand from his face.

“Don’t hide your face, Sehun. Please?”

Sehun nods and moves his other hand away from his face to rest on Baekhyun’s slender waist. He gasps when Baekhyun’s hand encircles his cock stroking gently. He bites his lip and pulls Baekhyun down to kiss him as he rocks his hips up into Baekhyun’s touch.

When Baekhyun pulls his hand back, Sehun nearly whimpers. He peeks through his lashes to see Baekhyun smiling at him. There’s white on his fingers and Sehun is about to cry when Baekhyun licks his fingers, his eyes are half-lidded and sultry.

“It’s sweet,” he says, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah… it is,” answers Sehun meekly.

Baekhyun only answers with a smirk and kisses his way down Sehun’s chest.

He comes embarrassingly fast when Baekhyun takes his cock into his mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s been a few nights since Baekhyun and Sehun spent the night together in Baekhyun’s room. And Baekhyun thinks Zitao’s main goal in life is to make him miserable.

“Was he any good?”

Baekhyun flushes at the memory and takes another bite of his pop tart. The sweet flavour is nice, but it doesn’t really compare.

“I did most of the work,” he pauses.

“Well?” pushes Zitao.

“But it was really… amazing,” Baekhyun sighs.

“Did you do the _do_? Or…?”

“We didn’t. He jacked me off and I blew him and that was that,” says Baekhyun hastily hiding his face in his pillow.

“Baek, that’s not how you’re supposed to tell me,” whines Zitao.

“Fine then, he’s huge and his fingers are just the right kind of rough, is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Almost, how big exactly?”

Baekhyun groans.

“Sometimes I wonder why we’re best friends,” he sighs.

“Because you needed someone big and strong enough to kick anybody’s ass for calling you a fag. Oh and because you always have pop tarts.”

 

 

 

 

 

The next time Sehun and Baekhyun are in the glade, Sehun doesn’t bother to wear shorts. He lies in the grass completely naked and Baekhyun has to do his best to keep his eyes off Sehun. So he does his best to finish his maths homework as soon as he possibly can.

When he’s just about finished with the final problem, Sehun speaks up:

“Do you regret… that night?”

Baekhyun looks up, Sehun is lying on his stomach in the grass.

“No. But why would you think that?”

“You won’t even look at me now.”

Baekhyun gives Sehun a once-over (later he’d deny that his gaze lingered on the swell of Sehun’s ass), before stuffing his books and pencil case back into his bag. He shucks his shirt and kneels beside Sehun, who rolls over.

“Only because I was working. I told you that I thought I love you.”

He presses a quick kiss to Sehun’s lips.

“I think I really do love you,” he whispers to them.

Sehun hooks a hand around one of Baekhyun’s knees and pulls him to straddle his hips. He cups Baekhyun’s face.

“I love you,” he murmurs as he sits up and presses his forehead to Baekhyun’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That same afternoon, Baekhyun finds himself on his back on his blanket, his senses filled with all that is Sehun.

He tastes him on his tongue, all he can smell is the fresh scent of leaves, and all he can see is Sehun looming over him. The sunlight filters through his hair like a halo.

He bites his knuckles as Sehun works two fingers inside of him. His spit is slicker than human’s, much to Baekhyun’s relief. He can’t help but moan loudly when Sehun pushes his fingers so high up inside him against that one spot, he feels like he’s going to snap his spine.

Begging Sehun to hurry, he shivers beneath him. Baekhyun wants this so badly, needs it, craves it.

So when Sehun finally pushes his hips forward with Baekhyun’s legs hooked over his arms, Baekhyun almost cries.

Sehun’s joints may be stiffer than a human’s, but it doesn’t stop him from snapping his hips forward and having his sharp hipbones press against Baekhyun’s soft pliant hips.

Baekhyun rakes his nails over Sehun’s back, with each thrust.

When he feels the familiar coiling sensation in his stomach, he wraps a hand around his cock, trying to bring himself to completion.

Sehun knocks his hand away and pauses, placing Baekhyun’s hands around his neck. He curls a hand around Baekhyun.

Baekhyun’s eyes are wide and all he can see is Sehun, slack-jawed, sleepy-eyed, and moaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later on, Sehun is lying face down on the blanket, face nestled in his arms. Baekhyun lying beside him, curled into his side.

“’Sorry about your back,” he whispers.

Sehun’s back is riddled with green and gold marks, and even though they’re already closing up, they still look painful.

“It’s okay. I wish you could carve your name into my skin and never have it disappear.”

Baekhyun blushes red and he snuggles closer to Sehun.

 

 

 

 

 

Exams come and go. Baekhyun passes just fine, Zitao scrapes through and Sehun somehow makes it through as well.

“I’ve done them many times before,” is his explanation.

It’s summer now and Sehun explains to Baekhyun that he cannot leave the forest anymore. Baekhyun shrugs.

“That’s ok. I’m not going anywhere anyway. I could tell my parents I’m camping with you out here and never leave you.”

Sehun smiles and says that he can’t let him.

“As much as I love you, I don’t want to put you through that.’

Baekhyun frowns.

“Put me through what?”

“I’m a tree spirit, Baekhyun. Once a year, for a full season, I turn into my other form.”

Though Baekhyun still isn’t quite sure what it means he decides that he’ll just stick to daily visits.

 

 

 

 

 

The following day, Sehun’s hair is no longer black, but has turned bright green, as if his body rejected the black dye. His eyes are lighter too.

“I always liked this shade on you,” Baekhyun laughs, running his fingers through his hair.

Sehun smiles weakly and asks him to sing for him.

He reminds Baekhyun before he leaves that he loves him with a syrup-sweet kiss.

 

 

 

 

 

By the end of the week, Sehun has an overall shade of green. His skin is tinged peridot, especially around his joints. He no longer blushes gold but green now and his eyes have turned a bright emerald that mesmerises Baekhyun.

Baekhyun has come to the realisation that his time with Sehun is limited. He holds Sehun in his arms as much as he can. When he kisses he tries to pour all his emotion into it.

And when Sehun pushes his way inside of him, Baekhyun wants to cry and does his best to leave his mark on Sehun. He wraps his legs around Sehun’s waist tightly, and fists his hands in Sehun’s hair.

“ _Sehun_ ,” he whimpers, time and time again.

He doesn’t think he can be without Sehun, even if it is for just summer.

 

 

 

 

 

When Sehun starts sprouting branches from his back like angel wings, his movements slowly become more and more rigid. He can barely hug Baekhyun back at one point and he detests it all.

All he can do is stand on the stump in the meadow like it’s some pedestal.

Gone are the days he could run to greet Baekhyun at the edge, when he could hug him close.

His lower half is slowly but surely fusing with the stump into the base of a tree trunk.

Baekhyun hates it.

He starts bringing a step ladder with him to the meadow, so he can hug Sehun as best as he can.

His arms can no longer encircle Sehun properly and he hates it.

“When you come here tomorrow, I won’t be able to talk to you anymore,” says Sehun one day.

Baekhyun is sitting at the base of the tree, crying.

“But you will still hear me, right?”

“Always. The forest is always listening. I’m always listening.”

“So with this last day to tell me anything for the rest of the summer, what will you tell me?” Baekhyun trembles.

“I’ll tell you I love you. I’ll say it until you never forget my voice and how much I love you. So even if I were to never return to my other form, you’ll remember me.”

So Baekhyun moves away from the tree and sits in front of Sehun. He looks up into those green eyes that still bear the same sleepy look, only more surreal.

“ _I love you,_ ” Sehun repeats it until nightfall.

 

 

 

 

 

The following day, Baekhyun comes to the glade.

Sehun is still there, though he has branched out, his arms raised above his head as if he’s crying out to the heavens.

There are tree sap tracks running down from his eyes, and Baekhyun’s heart breaks at the sight.

So he sings for Sehun.

He sings his favourite song until his voice is hoarse and weary.

His paradise is lost, in a way.

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone were to find him they’d think he’s crazy, Baekhyun figures.

He’d asked Sehun before he turned if it would be ok for him to climb him and sit in his branches. Sehun said that as long as he climbs along his back, and doesn’t use spiked shoes, he’ll be okay.

So here he is, nestled in the branches.

“Your songbird made a nest,” he chuckles, he settles his blanket in the fork where Sehun’s right shoulder would meet his neck.

Sehun’s face is only just visible to him.

He occasionally puts his hand on Sehun’s cheek and talks to him about anything that comes to mind.

“I miss you,” he admits at one point.

“I miss your voice, your hands, your smile, your everything,” tears begin to fall.

“I miss you so much that I wonder if I can last all summer without you.”

He curls up among the leaves and lets his tears fall freely.

He can almost hear Sehun saying _I love you_ in the wind whistling through the forest.

 

 

 

 

 

When Baekhyun’s parents take him with them for a surprise visit to New York, he feels like the most ungrateful child on the planet.

He tells Sehun his mixed feelings about the trip and apologises profusely to him, despite the fact that he cannot reply.

On the trip, he enjoys himself as best as he can. He’s excited to see a big city and New York is _the_ Big City of the world. The week flies by faster than expected and Baekhyun is eager to return home.

He can’t wait to tell Sehun about the things he had seen and the food he had eaten. How he wished Sehun could have been together with him.

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun is eager to ‘go for a hike’ when they finally return from the airport. He quickly changes and is about to head out the door when his dad warns him to be careful.

“There’s a logging project going on in the forest,” he says

And Baekhyun feels like he’s been drained of all his blood.

He rushes to his car and frantically tries to start it.

“Fuck!” he screams when the engine won’t start up.

So he bolts, slamming the car door shut. He runs all the way until he finally makes it to the forest. He can see trucks in the distance on a dirt road into the woods. His heart sinks when he sees the trees chained up on them.

He runs through the trees, occasionally he trips over roots and stones, but he’s quick to get up and keep going. Thin branches whip at his face but he doesn’t care.

_Please let him still be there. Please_.

He begs whatever gods there may be for Sehun to still be there. He can’t be without him.

When he finally reaches the glade, he’s covered in cuts and bruises.

He falls to his knees.

The oak tree that once stood in the middle of the clearing is gone.

Baekhyun doesn’t even realise he’s screaming until one of the lumbermen finds him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Baekhyun avoids the forest like the plague for a month. In early September, just before the start of school, he's suddenly drawn back.

He  finds himself picking his way through the forest.

It's a bit thinner than before, but it's still a hassle to get to the glade.

When he finds the stump, in the middle of the meadow, he stops.

There, amongst the soft green moss, lies an acorn the size of the tip of Baekhyun's thumb.

It's coated in a sticky residue that burns his skin when he touches.

And Baekhyun knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end. :)

**Author's Note:**

> holy shit. This thing is a monster. Like holy shit. 12K of SeBaek. I’m so happy I managed to do this. Also I’d like to thank Mylinh for being a dirty dirty dirty enabler and drawing that Tree Hoon and Barkhyun comic for me. Oh and my IRL brosephine for helping with character development despite the fact that she really dislikes shipping real people and isn’t an exo fan.
> 
> That up there is what I wrote 2013. Whew lad.


End file.
